Ellie Szeryk hits on the eighth hole during the second round of the Canadian junior girls golf championship at Camelot on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. Szeryk leads the tournament at 2-under after back-to-back 71s.Jean Levac / Postmedia

That’s a pretty good reason why those three names are 1-2-3 atop the leaderboard partway through the second round of the 63rd annual Canadian junior girls golf championship in Cumberland, with play in the second round suspended late Wednesday afternoon by a storm.

The Camelot Golf and Country Club layout is proving to be all the girls can handle, with only Szeryk, Parsons and Xiao in the red (under par) as the tournament reaches the halfway point. The top 70 and ties after Round 2 is completed early Thursday will make the cut.

Szeryk, of London, Ont., leads the pack at 2-under after back-to-back 71s while both Parsons (72-71) and Xiao (70-73) are a stroke back.

Things could be quite different, however, if not for a tough hole here or there for the leaders.

About the only things keeping Szeryk from pulling away were a triple bogey in Round 1 and a double bogey in Round 2.

Mary Parsons hits from the 16th hole during the second round.Jean Levac

Katy Rutherford tees off from the 15th hole during the second round.Jean Levac

Susan Xiao checks the wind during the second round.Jean Levac

Susan Xiao tees off from the 15th hole during the second round.Jean Levac

Chloe Currie hits from the 15th hole.Jean Levac

Susan Xiao tees off from the 16th hole.Jean Levac

Chloe Currie tees off from the 16th hole.Jean Levac

Audrey Paradis hits on the 16th hole.Jean Levac

Alisha Lau hits a shot on the eighth hole.Jean Levac

Cu00e9leste Dao follows the path of the ball on the eighth hole.Jean Levac

Ellie Szeryk hits on the eighth hole during the second round of the Canadian junior girls golf championship at Camelot on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017. Szeryk leads the tournament at 2-under after back-to-back 71s.Jean Levac/Postmedia

Ellie Szeryk hits on the eighth hole.Jean Levac

Parsons might well have a healthy lead herself if not for a quadruple bogey in her opening round and a double bogey in her second.

“There are stretches on this course where you can make a bunch of birdies,” the 15-year-old Szeryk said after playing early in high humidity. “Then there are other stretches where you think, ‘There’s no way I can make a good score here.’

“It’s just if you hit it close you’re good. But if you hit it off-line you’re screwed.

“I’m just going to keep calm and trotting along, and try not to put more pressure on myself. Because when I put too much pressure on myself, I overthink it a little bit. So I just keep my head down and keep working.”

Szeryk, Parsons and Xiao will play together in the final threesome Thursday.

Szeryk and Parsons tied with six birdies each on Tuesday, then Parsons went out and had a second round mixed with several positives and just enough negatives to keep her from making a charge into the lead.

Her eight birdies went up against five bogeys and a double bogey.

That kind of scorecard has Parsons re-thinking what score it might take to win.

“I’m thinking 6-under, depending on where the (pins) are,” said Parsons, of Delta, B.C., who in her last go round as a junior wants nothing more than a Canadian title. “I’m thinking a couple under each day might do it.

“I think someone could (post a great number). But this course has its own quirks that could fight back. But someone still could post a low score out there.

“I just don’t want to put too much pressure on myself. Everyone is going to have to shoot a good score out there and I don’t want to be the one person standing in my own way.

“I think knowing I have the shots for this course and the amount of birdies I made (Wednesday) is a confidence booster going into the final two rounds. It’s just the smaller things and minimizing mistakes out there.”

Xiao, the first-round leader, was unable to match her opening-round 70, blaming herself and her putter.

“In general, my green reading was just off by a little bit,” said 15-year-old Xiao, of Surrey, B.C. “I missed so many putts by a little bit or a lip-out. I need to practise my green reading on the practice green.”

New Zealander Momoka Kobori is in contention at 1-over after rounds of 74 and 71, while Richmond Hill’s Monet Chun had the best round Wednesday with a 70.

Round 2 not completed

The tournament leaders played in near-perfect conditions during the morning draw at the Canadian junior girls golf championship on Wednesday at Camelot.

The players in the afternoon draw were not so lucky.

It started with lightning in nearby West Quebec, and Golf Canada officials were quick to sound the horns and stop play at 4:28 p.m. with the entire late draw — 64 golfers — still on the course.

After a two-hour delay, officials sent the players back out, only to abort the attempt to resume play just before the scheduled re-start time of 6:30 when another cell of bad weather sprung up in the Cumberland area.

Tournament director Liz Hoffman and her advisers were forced to make the call, and then Hoffman had to deliver the news to the young golfers, some of whom only had a hole or two to play, or to others who won’t make the cut in any event.

Play resumes Thursday at 7 a.m., with tee times and groupings for the third round to be determined only after Round 2 is completed. There could be more of the same on Thursday. The forecast for late in the day is not promising.

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